ABSTRACT

For most of the twentieth century, tin was the site of new forms of international regulation which became a model for other commodities. The onset of the depression of the 1930s saw a collapse in commodity prices, and governments of tin producing countries decided to form a cartel to return the industry to comparative prosperity. This is a detailed study of how the tin industry found itself in difficulty and how the cartel developed its policies of control over production and stocks, together with its enduring legacy after World War II.

This study of a cartel brings together two levels of analysis that are normally kept separate; international cooperation, and national organization, and demonstrates how each affected the other. It is based on a comprehensive review of a wide range of archival sources which are sufficiently rich and frank that they provide an insider’s sense of how a cartel actually worked.

chapter 1|3 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|21 pages

Tin: the foundations of an industry

chapter 3|29 pages

Tin and industrial capitalism, 1815–1918

chapter 4|39 pages

The problem with tin, 1919–1929

chapter 7|17 pages

Constructing the machinery of control

chapter 8|28 pages

Rescuing the tin industry, 1931–1933

chapter 9|15 pages

Renewing the second agreement, 1933–1934

chapter 10|23 pages

Stabilizing the tin market, 1934–1936

chapter 11|15 pages

Renewing the third agreement, 1935–1936

chapter 13|42 pages

Development under restriction: the producers

chapter 14|4 pages

Tin consumption and research

chapter 19|6 pages

Conclusion